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Friday, 18 October 2013

Hummer-HX

Hummer-HX

The objective of the HX was to position the Hummer brand into a smaller and cheaper market segment.Development of the vehicle, dubbed H4, began in 2004 and the new model was to be Jeep Wrangler sized.
The 2008 HX show car was smaller than both the H2 and H3.
It was powered by a 3.6 L (220 cu in) V6 engine mated to a six-speed
automatic transmission. The HX shared with other Hummers a body-on-frame design, with front and rear independent suspensions, four-wheel-disc brakes, and full-time four-wheel drive.

The HX was shown with a slant-back configuration, wearing a
desert-inspired matte olive paint scheme, and featured removable doors
with exposed hinge pins and removable composite fender flares that are
attached with quarter-turn quick-release fasteners.
The exterior's matte olive color was also applied to the interior's
largely sheet metal-covered panels. The floor was a rubberized material.
The HX seats four, with a pair of bucket-type seats in the second row.
The removable rear seats allow cargo room. The console included a
compartment for phones and MP3 players with no conventional radio, only integrated speakers and a connector for digital players or similar devices.
Three designers who were new to General Motors, Robert Jablonski, Kang Min-young, a South Korea native, and David Rojas, a native of Peru, participated in the development of the Hummer HX.The suspension is
no slouch either. Fox Racing coilovers with 2-inch shocks and 2.5-inch
springs support the independent front and rear suspensions -- though the
lack of solid axles is sure to make purists balk -- and also provide
plenty of wheel travel (9 inches in front, 11 at the rear) and ground
clearance (13 inches). HX also has impressive approach (56 degrees) and
departure angles (51 degrees). It can handle a 60 percent grade, 40
percent side slope, and ford two feet of water while seating four. To
protect important bits underneath, the HX is fitted with a full
underbody armor kit. Other heavy duty off-road equipment includes front
and rear recovery hooks and a power winch on the front bumper.

With gasoline surging toward $4 per gallon and massive SUVs falling massively out of favor, it would seem that GM's Hummer
division would be entering the autumn of its years. But according to J.
D. Power and Associates, the brand captures and retains owners better
than most, so it's worth nurturing. The trick is making hugeness less of
a calling card - a process that started with the demise of the H1 - but
preserving extreme off-road ability. As anyone who has done any serious
off-roading can attest, size is your enemy on the trail, so a smaller
but still off-road-ready Hummer, perhaps like the HX concept (below),
makes perfect sense. The HX gives us a good look at the upcoming H4, and
if that new entry has all the off-road gear of the show car, it'll be a
strong addition to the lineup. The HX sports full-time four-wheel drive
(naturally) with locking front and rear differentials, 35-inch tires, a
3.6-liter direct-injected V-6, and an electronically disconnectable
front antiroll bar - not to mention that unmistakable blocky styling.